RIP Sherwood Schwartz 1916-2011

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip...

Here's a story of a lovely lady who was bringing up three very lovely girls...
TV writer, producer, and creator Sherwood Schwartz died today at the age of 94. I daresay that even if you don't know the man's name, you have more than a passing familiarity with his two biggest contributions to the public consciousness:

I don't have any great tie-in with how his passing affected my role-playing. (Well, there was a great Paranoia game I ran at a convention titled "Gill-I-GAN's Complex," but that'll wait for another day.) Nor is there any great lesson learned from these shows that became a watchword for my day-to-day life. The reason I'm taking a moment to remember him here is thusly:

"Gilligan's Island" is simply my favorite show of all time. I still laugh out loud with each and every viewing, which happens at least once a week. I have been greatly entertained by this show for 40+ years. And anyone who has brought me this much happiness on a nearly weekly basis for most of my life deserves to be honored and remembered. Thanks for the chuckles, Mr. Schwartz.

In honor of this man's contributions, I encourage every Dungeon Master, Game Master, Crypt Keeper, Labyrnth Lord, Mutant Lord, and RPG Referee to take a moment this weekend and strand his PCs on an unchartered desert isle after a three-hour tour.

A three hour tour...